Bulging Capacitors & Thoughtless Design
Sherlock Ohms 6/13/2013 7 comments A failed capacitor is one thing, but finding out it failed because of thoughtless design requires the investigative powers of Sherlock Ohms.
Rebooting the Van
Sherlock Ohms 5/27/2013 21 comments Now that automotive electronics are as complex as a personal computer, sometimes they need a reboot like a computer.
What's the Time?
Sherlock Ohms 5/8/2013 51 comments The radio station couldn't keep its clock synchronized. Apparently, the power company was goofing up the time.
The Power of Human Touch
Sherlock Ohms 5/3/2013 15 comments When all of the testing via instruments leave a problem unsolved, it may be time to deploy human senses.
What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
Sherlock Ohms 4/22/2013 8 comments It was OK when a radio station ran a tad above frequency limits. But when other radio operators in the area used the station's frequency as a base, things could get crazy.
Screws Mess With Filter Design
Sherlock Ohms 4/18/2013 3 comments The filter had more rejection at the low end than at the high end since the equivalent capacitance coupling did not provide a transmission at high frequencies.
The Power Factor
Sherlock Ohms 4/16/2013 9 comments Post-lunch power surges caused a world of problems at a high-tech defense firm.
The Least-Obvious Signals Sometimes Bite You
Sherlock Ohms 4/15/2013 4 comments When is a digital circuit not a digital circuit? When somebody forgot that ultimately everything is an analog circuit, and things like L, R, and C combine in the most insidious ways to derail a design.
Car Radio Fires Up Check Engine Light
Sherlock Ohms 4/12/2013 19 comments Apparently the 2003 Saturn Vue has some interconnections between sensors that depend upon the integrity of the radio ground strap for proper operation of the engine and transmission control computers.
Antenna Tower 4 Has No Base Current
Sherlock Ohms 3/22/2013 19 comments Engineering problems in the broadcast field can range from defective components, operator errors, snakes, or a combination of factors. Sometimes you need to call Sherlock in to solve the case.
Running Robots off the Cuff
Sherlock Ohms 2/22/2013 16 comments When they order the wrong robot and you have to keep the line running, it's time to find a hack solution.
Strap Grounds Field Failures
Sherlock Ohms 1/23/2013 14 comments When a customer changed the design on one of his products, another part of the design failed. It was time to call Sherlock.
Billboard Causes Computer Crash
Sherlock Ohms 1/7/2013 24 comments A brightly lit billboard was causing one company's computers to crash earlier each night. Sherlock is on the case.
Brake Lights Were on the Blink
Sherlock Ohms 1/4/2013 24 comments An unsuspecting driver was startled by another driver's horn, after the brake lights on his vehicle did not illuminate before he turned. A $20 switch solved the problem.
The Mystery of the Water Hammering
Sherlock Ohms 12/6/2012 11 comments The water hammering came and went for ages until Sherlock Ohms was sitting in the right place at the right time.
A Part Failure, Not a Design Flaw
Sherlock Ohms 10/22/2012 6 comments On the surface, it looked as if the scope failed due to a design flaw. Actually, it was a part failure.
These Fuses Melt in Water
Sherlock Ohms 10/15/2012 32 comments The new building came with a slew of electrical problems -- blown fuses and faulty phone lines.
Super Mistake Caused Super Voltage
Sherlock Ohms 9/25/2012 21 comments How could an aircraft system with no more than 15V cause burn marks in strange places? Is it misuse or a big mistake?
'Move the Picker, Move the Tote'
Sherlock Ohms 9/18/2012 22 comments The trick to speeding up the number of totes on the line was programming the movement of picking the totes.
Case of the Data-Corrupting Pocket
Sherlock Ohms 8/28/2012 34 comments When transferring data from the control computer to the maintenance computer, you have to be careful how you carry the disk.
Andrew Morris designed a circuit that could detect a stroke victim's groan and convert the sound into a signal so caregivers would know when help was needed.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
On April 21, NASA launched a novel project, putting into orbit three satellites that employ an off-the-shelf commercial smartphone as the control system.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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